Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder on Elena's Sire Bond, Damon's Angst About the Cure and More

So far this season, The Vampire Diaries has thrown an unable-to-feed Elena, a sire bond and a cure for vampirism at Damon. And soon, the elder Salvatore will be on his way to the coast of Nova Scotia to get that cure for his lady love. But does he want her to take it? And will he?

Below, Ian Somerhalder weighs in on Damon’s feelings about being human again, the controversial sire bond twist, relating to Professor Shane and more!

TVLINE | The sire-bond storyline has been hotly contested in TVLine’s comments section. What did you think of the twist and how it affects Elena and Damon’s relationship?
Well, I thought, “Hey, cool! He can do whatever he wants.” Three years of trying to get the same girl, who looks like your ex who you thought was in love with you for 150 years, has to do whatever you say. Could be worse. Actually, no, I thought, “Poor guy”… Here’s the thing: At the end of the day, Damon does not want to take this cure, nor would he in a million years want Elena to take it. He’s thinking, “Why would I want to do this? Why would I want to become a normal, boring human being susceptible to everything?” It’s just not in his wheelhouse to have that thought… It really is a tragic [thing]. You want this character — even though he does really awful things — you want him to win. You want him to be happy in life… There’s something big in the cards for Damon soon.

TVLINE | You say he doesn’t want Elena to be cured, so why is he going out of his way to find this cure for her? Is it purely about him knowing whether she truly loves him?
No, it’s not that self-serving. That would be [like] Damon. But I think ultimately, it’s that it’s what she wants. It’s really what she wants.

TVLINE | Elena made a pretty big confession of love recently, and Damon told her to come to him. But then they got distracted by the hunter/cure business. Will they address that conversation soon?
That’s the idea. One would hope. She did come to him, and it was a really cool moment for him. There’s got to be conflict there [between them]. There has to be. Now, this cure is really not something Damon wants, and so he’s forced to do all this stuff for her. It adds tension because she’s saying, “Look, I love you, man. You have to believe me. I really do.” And he’s just saying, “No, no, no. It’s not possible.” It’s tough for her, and it’s tough for him. It’s Vampire Diaries, it sucks for everyone. It’s hard.

TVLINE | An an actor, was there any frustration about your character finally getting the girl and then there’s this asterisk that it might just be because of the sire bond?
I just thought, “Ooh, Salvatore, you poor bastard.” Leave it to life. It’s Murphy’s Law. That’s the way it goes.

TVLINE | So what’s the next step for Damon and Elena in their relationship?
To move to an island in the Caribbean that Damon buys and start a colony. In all seriousness, it’s kind of like instead of a whodunnit storyline, it’s a who’s-gonna-get-it? Honestly, I think that Damon right now is wishing he wasn’t in this situation, and [he] has an exorbitant amount of trepidation about getting this [cure] because he has a pretty clear idea that once she gets it, she’s going to go back to feeling this way for Stefan. This circumstance is really not great.

TVLINE | Stefan and Damon’s relationship has also been through quite the ringer as a result of the Elena story. Stefan’s gotten kind of spunky recently. What’s their interaction like coming up?
Stefan spunky? I like that!

TVLINE | He’s got a bit of an edge.
We like edgy Stefan. Stefan likes edgy Stefan. Stefan, just like his brother, has a lot to go through in the near future. He’s got a lot riding on this cure. Stefan wants it. This is a chance for him… Stefan’s hoping that they can find it and make it work and ultimately she’ll go back to feeling this way for him. And Damon’s thinking, “Ooh, this sucks!” Really not happy about it.

TVLINE | On the way to this cure, Damon has a bloody run-in with a hunter.
I like that storyline. It’s a lot of fun. The character’s great. Charlie [Bewley], the actor who plays Vaughn, is awesome. He brings a lot to the role. He and David Alpay, who plays Professor Shane, they’re both really talented and they’re a lot of fun to work with. [Damon and Shane], while they’re wanting to kill each other, they really work well together.

TVLINE | Damon’s been really suspicious of Shane. What are the odds that we’re headed to a big “I told you so” from Damon?
[Joking] There’s a scene where Damon and Shane kind of cuddle. Look, this Shane guy has a lot of shit going on, excuse my language. He’s got a lot of stuff he’s hiding. He’s a master manipulator, and that’s really why I like him. He and Damon, they’re not too far off. Again, he has ill-intentions, but they’re for righteous reasons. That’s what Damon had for really the first two seasons of the show. So I have to respect him for that. But I will say that Damon is praying that he’s wrong about this guy, that he’s not as bad as he thinks he is. There’s good stuff there between them.

So nice that Damon gets a big storyline where he gets to save the day…Stefan gets a big storyline and Elena, the main character, has become a one dimensional point in a love triangle with no real story of her own…A bit depressing since she was so awesome in season 1-2 :(

Good interview. What’s funny is you can tell that Ian kinda thinks that his character is under Murphy’s Law and that this sire bond love is BS. And that’s what fans think too… she really loves him. She has to. LOL.. you can just tell he’s just having fun and along for the ride.
What I think is great is we really see now what’s been foreshadowed and thrown at us in pieces all along: Damon is ultimately the good one who had a bad bit in his life, and Stefan is ultimately the bad one who had a small good run in his life. And they said it best last week, we don’t know what a Stefan who really doesn’t give a crap about Elena looks like. And I’m liking what I see.

I think you’re seeing what you want to see- it’s not as easy as saying Damon is ultimately the good one and Stefan is ultimately the bad one. There are way too many layers to each character to say that.

No, I think you are missing the point Dsmon will never be the “good” one it isn’t who he is and Stefan will always struggle to be good because that is who he is BUT both have good and bad in them they just approach it in different ways.

There is no good or bad brother. They are both good and evil in equal measure. The difference is that Damon accepts that about himself while Stefan lies to himself and actually believes he’s better than his brother. Stefan isn’t better than Damon and Damon isn’t better than Stefan. Stefan just needs to open his eyes, accept himself for who he is, and take responsibility for his actions.

As for the sire bond? If the writers do go back on what they’ve said and have all Elena’s feelings be because of the sire bond then they better be ready for a pretty serious backlash from the viewers. A lot of Damon fans are just about sick of seeing him be the writers’ whipping boy. Having Elena be with Stefan was one thing. Having her telling Damon how much she loves him and then saying “Ha ha, it wasn’t real!” is another. That’s just grossly unfair and ridiculous. I, for one, will find something else to watch.

you really dont watch this show all u watch is ian sommerhalder. Stefan will always be good to the bone thats who he his which is why witch benet said will be his curse(season 1) she said even in death you (stefan) u are a pure soul she knew waht becoming a vp will turned him to and his struggle with it will be his curse. note that stefan was turned without his knowledge he was compell to drink katrine blood but demon was taking it willinging even begging to be turned. it just so unforetunate the wrters are missing what they wrote just to satisfy people like u.

I agree with you, Tanya. Both brothers have qualities that I like & I want them to be happy. My heart breaks for both of them. However, I do kinda like this whole Rebecca & Stefan twist (even though Revecca acts awful to Elena).

Rebekka is awful to Elena now- but I don’t really blame her. Remember when Elena pretended to understand her and then stabbed her in the back- literally? So I can’t really blame her for acting the way she does toward her.

Totally agree. I think the Rebekah and Stefan twist it nice, and she shouldn’t have to be nice to Elena. I also hope that if Elena does get the cure, she doesn’t just jump right back into bed with Stefan. I hope she still has feelings for Damon and she has to work her feelings for both brothers. I also wish she wouldn’t even get the cure, she would stop whinning about it and move on with life.

Adam…you might want to put down the meth pipe. Ian is hot. Damon..not DEMON is hot. And by the way, Damon wanted to let himself die after he found out Katherine wasn’t there, STEFAN was the selfish one who “saved” Damon because he didn’t want to be alone. So STFU.

Lol Ian is too funny…. I really hope Elena doesn’t get the cure though. I just think it would be kinda lame since she just turned into a vampire and everything. I also hope they don’t break Damon’s heart yet again but if they do I hope they end this triangle madness and let him move on for once.

Damon should get the cure. I think that would be the most interesting story-line, of all the characters in the running. Elena was just human. Stefan already acts more human than vampire. But, it would be a bold move on the part of the writers (in a good way) to give it to Damon because 1) he is a major character and an event as dramatic as this (if done creatively) would have tremendous impact on all the characters and 2) he doesn’t have any interest in obtaining the cure to become human himself. He doesn’t want it, period. Which makes it all the more interesting should he be the one to get it.

It would actually be an intriguing plot line, and a great opportunity for the writers (and viewers) of the show to explore aspects of his humanity no one has yet seen. Risks like these (and following through and sticking with them as opposed to continually taking the easy route back to the norm) are what differentiates the good shows from shows viewers come away from saying, “Genius!” …shows that no one ever forgets.

I like The Vampire Diaries series – but I don’t think the show “shakes things up” and takes enough of those bold risks and actually follows through and sticks with them. I think TVD dips into the bold but then pulls back, or transitions too quickly through phases of the characters’ developments that would be more interesting if explored more thoroughly and permanently.

I don’t know that I would say for sure that Damon doesn’t want the cure. He’s said once that being human is the thing he misses more than anything, and his face when he found out a cure existed, even if it was partially for Elena’s, reinforced that. It would definitely shake things up though.

I haven’t read the books in a while, but I’m pretty sure I remember someone getting cured- and it wasn’t Elena. I wonder if Damon were to end up accidentally cured, would that also break the site bond? Because I’m starting to think that may be the direction they’re headed.

Yes, he did become human and than ends up being a vampire again down the line. In the books Elena is sired to him and stays that way but comes to realize she needs to grow up and quite jerking both brothers around and ultimatly decides she doesn’t want to walk on the dark side with Damon, turns back to human sorta and chooses Stefan at the end with Damon as her best friend. Kind of the cliffs notes version but that is about it

So if she chooses Stefan in the books and Damon as her best friend, then things basically would go back to the way they were. So in the books Damon just forever pines away for Elena and never gets another love of his own?

I sure hope that doesn’t happen on the show.

Also, I heard that at some point in the book she realizes Damon was her true love? I am totally confused.

No, oddly enough Damon us never her true love she is attracted to him but she realizes that it isn’t true love, Stefan has always been her true love even when she was fooling around with Damon. The ending isn’t as bleak as it sounds Damon understands that Elena was never really his no matter how much he tried and he finally realizes he needs to move on and start a life without Elena and find someone who loves only him. They will always be close but that is as far as it goes.

That’s a crock. Everyone says Damon got screwed in the books. The ghost writers completely did a 180 on how things were going and made it completely Stelena and Damon ends up leaving town alone and being alone. He got screwed. They also completely jumped the shark and made Elena an angel (god help us all) and all kinds of stupid stuff. After the ghostwriters got a hold of the books there is really no point in even reading them. They destroyed the original storyline.

That is precisly where they are headed my dear. And I believe the cure is actually going to kill him. But when they bring him back- no more sire bond. Also they haven’t taken anything from the books past the 4 original TVD books written 20 years ago because the rest of the series is horrible gibberish.

If it follows the books and for the most part they are, he takes something meant for Stefan (notice a pattern here) and it ends up biting him in the ass. The one being who loves being a vampire is turned into a human and a whiny one at that.

So… If I express my opinion that isn’t yours then I need to go to another site. LOL Personally I don’t want either brother to end up with her, Elena is an idiot. However, I don’t think Damon is a saint. You really need to quit taking this personally it is a freakin show.

Not going exactly like the books? Caroline is a vampire and NOT pregnant with werewolf babies. Bonnie isn’t a little sweet white Scottish druid girl who follows around after Damon. Meredith isn’t a girl their age who grew up with them but got involved with her teacher Alaric and turned out to be half-vampire turned by Klaus. Katherine isn’t dead. Klaus isn’t dead. The series is really nothing like the books. The characters alone are drastically different and I’m glad because the books went completely wonky after the ghostwriters got a hold of them.

I, for one, cannot wait to see what the next three episodes will hold. But I sure hope after all is done that Elena still chooses Damon. It would be devastating for him if she goes back to Stefan after all of this. Can the writers just let the guy get the girl he loves for a change?

Has no one read the books? Damon is the one to take the cure! Although the show hasn’t followed the books very well in the past, ie Tyler should be dead by now and caroline should be having pups, Klaus should also be dead! and Elana has a sister not a brother, But hey the show is great! But think I’m the only one who wants Elena and Stefan to be together

Lets be reasonable, elena’s one and true love is stefan, she fell for him instantly right from the first day they met, though she met damon first but didn’t fall for him instantly the way she for stefan not even after one or two months. she cares about damon, but its stefan that she truely loves. Without the sire bond she could never had slept with damon. This movie would be meaningless and awful if she chooses damon in the end.

Wtf? Are you guys like crazy or what? If Elena chooses Damon in the end, what would it prove? Stefan did a lot of things for the girl he loves and Damon as well even giving himself up to Klaus just to save his brother! After everything Stefan did just for Elena, you want him to end with nothing just because you’re crazy about Ian! Admit it! You all don’t really give a crap about Elena, all you care about is Damon being happy! I’m a Stelena and I strongly believe that the love those two share is what true love is all about! Stelena forever!

finally after watching damon and elena’s journey for 4 years they are together. Elena never once doubted her feeling for Damon. Brilliant acting and speech by Ian in the final episode. It was worthy of on Emmy.